Iloco, literatura, cultura, kdpy.

Hello fellow Ilocano. I’ve been working on an online Ilokano English dictionary for the past few years and would like to share it with you and your visitors. If you could kindly mention or add a link to your page to my site, http://www.toidp.com, I would greatly appreciate it. Just doing my part in trying to keep the language and our culture persisting through future generations.

Daytoy man ti Introduction ti “The Online Ilokano Dictionary Project”: The Online Ilokano Dictionary Project (TOIDP) is a free Ilokano dictionary application. The primary objective of TOIDP is to provide an online Ilokano resource for people to utilize so that they may overcome the language barriers existing between the English and Ilokano languages. Feel free to browse around and make full use of the tools available on this site. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Ti impablaac ni Dr. Aurelio Solver Agcaoili, professor iti University of Hawaii at Manoa, a “CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH-ILOKANO DICTIONARY” iti daytay napalabas a tawen ti maysa cadagiti cangrunaan a dictionario uray no cagudua laeng agsipud ta saan a nairaman ditoy ti Ilocano to English dictionary. Nacalista daytoy iti Barnes & Noble (for $100.00) ngem “CURRENTLY NOT AVAILABLE”. [The book is published by TMI Global Hawaii with offices at 94-390 Hoaeae St., Waipahu, HI 96797. For orders in the US and Canada, write to agcaoili.dictionary@gmail.com. For other orders including those in the Philippines, write to caspublishing@gmail.com or cas812@gmail.com.]

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Following is the draft of a bill that would help put the City of Batac and the Province of Ilocos Norte on the international map as the leader in tapping an agricultural wonder namely, soybean, to improve the livelihood of a whole nation. If passed, it will usher in a new era of opportunities first, for students coming from the area and second, for students coming from all over the world. And yet another salutary effect would be increased employment on top of the overall and intended purpose of improving the nutrition requirements of our young to equip them to absorb a better education and, ultimately alleviate the general economy. This is an opportunity to lead.

We’re hoping the Honorable Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. and the Honorable Congresswoman Imelda Romualdez Marcos, both of the Province of Ilocos Norte, would sponsor the proposed bill in Congress and gather support for its ultimate approval. It will benefit an entire country. And we would like the educational leadership behind this proposed Act to come from the doors of the hallowed institution pictured below:

________________________________________________________________

FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE )
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES )First Regular Session)

SENATE

S. No. ___________

_____________________________________________________________________

Introduced by Senator Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.

_____________________________________________________________________

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The future lies in the hands of today’s children. To ready them for their role as our future leaders, they must have quality nutrition to give them a good start in developing their skills and potentials during their tender years. Adequate and quality nutrition is integral to a child’s total development.

However, the high child malnutrition rate in the country is taking a toll especially among the underprivileged majority.

Food is the most basic of all necessities that, unfortunately, cannot be adequately provided by all parents to their children all the time. Regular meals have become a privilege to most.

Even the grandest and well-meaning reforms in education hardly matter on children going to school on an empty stomach. In “Efficient Learning for the Poor” by Helen Abadzi, the author asserts:

“Malnutrition and ill health may significantly damage the cognitive processing ability of poor students. Students whose processing capacity is affected by ill health and malnutrition may require more hours of instruction to learn various skills. Early childhood education, along with health and micronutrient supplementation for school children, may prove critical in achieving Education For All (EFA) in low-income countries or areas. These very effective interventions require close and sustained collaboration between ministries of education and health. Means must be found to facilitate their execution.

“Students in low-income countries seem very small for their age. They also tend to be quiet and well behaved. While such classrooms may appear to be conveniently manageable, all is not well with many of these children.

“To function, neurons require energy that is obtained when the body metabolizes glucose and delivers it through the blood to the neurons along with oxygen. The various stages of the glucose-to-energy conversion require oxygen, vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients. Nerve cells are partly made of essential fatty acids that are obtained from food, so these substances are essential for brain development and learning. Not surprisingly, well-fed and healthy nerves are required for efficient brain function and learning. This is why early nutritional and health interventions are needed for the poor. As the Education For All initiative brings to school the most vulnerable populations, the chances increase that some students will have neurological damage that affects information processing capacity. Some types of damage can be mitigated and others cannot. Some have larger effects than others, but multiple sources of damage make cognitive deficits add up…”

Afghanistan, beset with widespread malnutrition and health related issues among its population, notably with women of childbearing age and their young, recognized the problem and its government decided to partner with some benefactors to resolve the problem. Early last year, The United States Department of Agriculture, and various organizations such as the American Soybean Association (ASA) who are involved in the promotion of soy decided to come together to implement a project worth $26 million dollars in Afghanistan. The project aims to fight malnutrition and help rebuild Afghanistan’s food industry. ASA Board member Scott Fritz, a soybean producer from Winamac, Indiana, says in a press release: “We are excited to help Afghan farmers rebuild their infrastructure while we make healthy food available to their fellow citizens and to build a market for soy. Diets will improve and soy consumption will increase as Afghan agriculture and the local economy develops. When this happens, everybody wins.” A similar scenario could be had in the Philippines with the approval of this bill.

Considered in some places as the miracle plant, soybean has many uses including:

Natural fertilizer: Soybean also improves soil fertility by adding nitrogen from the atmosphere to the soil. The plants themselves, usually after harvest, may be tilled back into the soil as fertilizer.

The milk from soybeans alone is so simple to process for the ordinary homemaker: it involves basically roasting the beans, grinding it into powder, mixing it with water and squeezing the milk. Unlike cow milk where one has to invest in a cow, feed it and take care of it, wait years for it to mature before it yields milk, the soybean plant matures in a few months and soymilk can be extracted from the beans right away.

With the variety of soybean products and uses, opportunities become available to the creative and entrepreneurial Filipinos to find their product niche and create employment in the process.

It is especially encouraging to note that in his first press conference following his proclamation as President on June 9, 2010, President Benigno Aquino III had the following exchange with one reporter, placing ‘growing the agricultural sector’, among other things, to address the issue of freedom from hunger as a matter of high priority:

Reporter: Do I/you expect more food on the table of the poor of the nation and how long or how short will your vision be?

Pres. Aquino: ‘Yong more food, yes. ‘Yong conditional cash transfers that will be devoid of politics is high on the priority list. ‘Yong growing the agricultural sector, enabling them to market their produce most effectively, not just the growing, not just the production side, turning them to higher value crops, irrigation, etc., TESDA working closer with the DepEd… —all of these… designed ultimately to answer the problem of freedom from hunger which is the first necessary freedom.

Therefore, passage of this Bill is urged to address a host of the nation’s top priorities namely, eradicate widespread malnutrition, make effective educational reforms happen among a healthy and responsive student populace, and ultimately improve the socio-economic well-being of Filipinos.

___________________________

FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE )
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES )First Regular Session)

SENATE

S. No. ___________

_____________________________________________________________________

Introduced by Senator Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.

_____________________________________________________________________

AN ACT

TO CREATE THE PHILIPPINE SOYBEAN AUTHORITY TO PROMOTE THE CULTIVATION, PRODUCTION, PROCESSING, MARKETING AND DISTRIBUTION OF SOYBEAN (GLYCINE MAX) AND SOYBEAN PRODUCTS, PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Title. This Act shall be known as the “Philippine Soybean Authority Act of 2011.”

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. It is the declared policy of the State to accelerate the growth and development of the rural areas, address the nutritional and health needs of our people, and improve investment climate, competencies and efficiency of agribusiness by promoting soybean farming as a source of livelihood, a means of attaining food security, and as an effective approach to poverty alleviation and a sustainable course toward freedom from hunger. Toward this end, the Philippine Soybean Authority shall engage in an all-out promotion of both the small-scale and commercial cultivation of soybean in suitable areas of the country and provide the leadership in harnessing the technology in cultivating soybean, and the efficient processing, marketing, and distribution of soybean products.

SEC. 3. Philippine Soybean Authority. The Philippine Soybean Authority, hereinafter referred to as PHILSOYA, is hereby created under the Department of Agriculture: PROVIDED that PhilSoyA shall be centrally administered through the Mariano Marcos State University situated in the City of Batac, Province of Ilocos Norte, to take full advantage of the University’s existing complementary colleges and its Research and Development and Extension (RDE) services and facilities. The university’s RDE services and facilities shall be further expanded nationally as needed to support this Act.

SEC. 4. Soybean Framework for Development. The Philippine Soybean Authority, in consultation with the Department of Agriculture, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Science and Technology, and farmer’s groups and/or cooperatives, local government units, and the private sector, shall formulate a Soybean Framework for Development which shall be validated and updated annually. This Framework shall serve as guide to the formulation and implementation of plans, programs and projects for the cultivation, research on suitable soybean cultivars and on the control of soybean diseases or pests, soybean product development, marketing, processing and distribution of soybean for food, medicinal uses, health improvement and various other uses. The Framework shall likewise provide for the following:

The Philippine Soybean Authority, in consultation with the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Trade and Industry, shall link up agribusiness cooperatives directly with consumer cooperatives;

Technical support on research and extension, infrastructure development, financial and market information, including but not limited to micro-financing arrangements for small-scale soybean farmers, shall be provided by the Philippine Soybean Authority in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Science and Technology especially its Food and Nutrition programs and projects, Cooperative Development Authority, and other relevant government agencies;

Access to post-harvest facilities, storage and distribution/transport facilities of existing government agencies shall be facilitated. Assistance shall be given to qualified and viable soybean farmers/growers cooperatives in making soft loans or grants available for the construction of soybean post-harvest processing and storage facilities;

The Philippine Soybean Authority, in coordination with the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Trade and Industry, and farmers organizations shall make viable soybean seeds and relevant propagation, harvesting, processing, storage, marketing and soybean-use information materials readily available to farmers/farmers’ cooperatives; and

The Philippine Soybean Authority, in coordination with the Department of Agriculture shall establish soybean information/extension centers in areas identified pursuant to Section 3 of this Act.

SEC. 5. Site Identification. The Philippine Soybean Authority, in coordination with the Department of Agriculture, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the municipal governments concerned, shall identify the broad areas suitable for the planting and propagation of soybeans, within six (6) months after the effectivity of this Act: Provided, That such site identification shall be reviewed at appropriate intervals to ensure consistency with the agrarian reform program and the national land use policy.

SEC. 6. Soybean Development Fund (SDF). To provide for the funding requirements for the cultivation, production, marketing, and processing of soybean, there is hereby created a Soybean Development Fund (SDF), with an initial amount of five hundred million pesos (P500,000,000.00) to be taken from the existing budget of the Department of Agriculture as initial funding for the Philippine Soybean Authority. Thereafter, the SDF shall be sourced from the amounts to be appropriated in the General Appropriations Act in the year following its enactment into law. Other sources of funds, including but not limited to borrowings, donations, or grants from local and international institutions, shall also be considered to further support the Fund.

SEC. 7. PHILSOYA Inter-Agency Committee. The PhilSoya Inter-Agency Committee which shall be under the Secretary of Agriculture shall be composed of a representative each from the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Agrarian Reform, the Department of Finance, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the Land Bank of the Philippines, the Development Bank of the Philippines, the Cooperative Development Authority, the Department of Science and Technology, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government and one (1) representative each from the small farmers and commercial producers sectors to be designated by the Secretary of Agriculture. The PhilSoya Inter-Agency Committee shall formulate and prescribe, in accordance with established laws and procedures, the implementing rules and regulations in order to carry out the provisions of this Act. The incumbent President of the Mariano Marcos State University and the representative from the Department of Agriculture shall be the chairman and the vice-chairman, respectively, of the Committee. The representatives from the government agencies must have a rank of at least Assistant Secretary.

SEC. 8. Report to Congress. The Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, in consultation with the President of the Mariano Marcos State University, shall report to both Houses of Congress on the status of the implementation of this Act bi-annually.

SEC. 9. Repealing Clause. All laws or parts thereof, decrees, orders, rules and regulations inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly: Provided, however, That nothing in this Act shall be construed or applied as amending the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law of 1988 (CARL) and other laws on agrarian reform.

SEC. 10. Separability Clause. If any of the provisions of this Act is declared invalid, the other provisions not affected thereby shall remain in full force and effect.

SEC. 11. Effectivity Clause. This Act shall take effect immediately following its publication in a newspaper of general circulation or in the Official Gazette, whichever comes first.

Dr. Aurelio S. Agcaoili of the University of Hawaii at Manoa posted the following in his FaceBook on Tuesday, January 4, 2011:

For the first time, an English-Ilokano Dictionary, one of the more comprehensive dictionaries on the Ilokano language, is out of the press.

The limited American hardbound edition is published by TMI Global Hawaii. To order, email aurelioagcaoili@gmail.com.

The Philippine edtion is published by Cornerstone of Arts & Sciences, Quezon City. To order, contact the publisher, Cecilia Suarez, president and ceo: caspublishing010@gmail.com or checheasuarez@yahoo.com, 0922-824-3227.

The Philippine edition is due for soft launch in March 2011; another launch at the 6th Nakem International in Ifugao State University, May 23-25; and another launch at the 3rd TMI Global Writers Conference, May 27-29.

The dictionary brings out the repertoire of the Ilokano language as spoken in the Philippines and in the diaspora; likewise, it follows a pre-category approach. Total number of entries in this volume is 18,000 plus.

WHEN I first arrived in the Philippines and journeyed north to my new home, La Union, the first thing I noticed was how many people inhabited this country. The road north from Manila exhibited a near continuous line of sari-sari stores, food stalls, local government halls, churches, and many other buildings, all overlooking a road teeming with children, animals, trucks, buses, farmers, and people sitting wayside to observe the activity. In Canada, journeys between cities are much more desolate, and the transition between wilderness and settlement is abrupt. Here, the activity and people lent a sensation of being perpetually on the outskirts of Manila, and just as I thought to be leaving civilization, another town plaza would appear. Given that my country has a third the population of the Philippines in 30 times the area, the difference in density is expected. But there was something even more shocking that I was not prepared for. In just 6 hours, my new office friends had noted passing four realms of languages. As we crossed into Pampanga from Bulacan, my escort and soon-to-be officemate mentioned, “Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is from here. They speak Kapampangan.”

“Kampan…Kampandunkin?” I repeated woefully inaccurately, the word having gone by too fast. “Do they actually use it or do you mean historically?”

“No, they actually use it,” he said.

How cool! My eyes drifted to the window, amazed by the fact that the endless line of seemingly identical sari-sari stores and general humanity did in fact harbor great variety. It soon became a game in which, whenever we crossed into a new province, I would ask, “What language do they speak here?” To which my officemates would reply something new. In Pampanga, it was Kapampangan; in Tarlac, mostly Tagalog; in Pangasinan, the Pangasinan language, and finally in La Union, Ilokano. My initial judgement of everything being the same was based—rather naively—on appearance. The Philippines has in fact much greater diversity than the cosmetic differences I was looking for, a fact I have gradually come to appreciate more and more. In Canada, one can travel 1000 km and not even detect a difference in accent. While the scenery is many-hued, people are for the most part talking the same way, eating the same things, and interacting with each other in similarly predictable ways. Of course there are immigrant communities, class differences, and some regional variations, but the country’s young age ensures these differences are small, and further dulled by the overriding imprint of American culture from the south. Continue reading →

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Last night’s Argentine tango by Nichole Scherzinger and partner Derek Hough garnered the pair another Perfect “10” on Dancing With The Stars. Their cha-cha dance just before that got them two perfect “10’s” and a “9”.

Oh well, here they are dancing the Argentine tango and the cha-cha; enjoy:

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I am not going to speculate that Alfonso Valiente, a Filipino, is an Ilocano or a descendant of Ilocanos, however, the Valientes sure abound in my hometown. I shall, however, recognize the fact that he was part of the equation that produced Nicole Scherzinger, the talented and beautiful lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls and now competing in this year’s 10th season of Dancing With The Stars.

Here’s the text of a fact sheet on the singer/dancer circulating on the Internet:

Nicole Prescovia Elikolani Valiente Scherzinger (born June 29, 1978) is an American pop/R&B singer, songwriter, dancer and occasional actress who is best known as the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls.

Previously, Scherzinger was part of reality TV girlgroup Eden’s Crush and despite minor chart successes she was discontented with the group and quit. She then joined the Pussycat Dolls when they were a burlesque troupe. She took the role of lead singer when the group became a recording group. So far, the Pussycat Dolls have released two successful albums, PCD and Doll Domination, with two supporting tours.

Scherzinger was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her biological father, Alfonso Valiente is Filipino, and her mother, Rosemary, is of Hawaiian and Russian descent. In an interview Scherzinger said “I’m Filipino-Russian-Hawaiian, but people think I’m from Pakistan.”

Her mother Rosemary was eighteen at the time of Scherzinger’s birth and lived in an inner city neighborhood. Nicole’s parents separated when she was still a baby. Her maternal family moved to Louisville, Kentucky when she was six years old, with her sister Ke’ala and her German-American stepfather Gary Scherzinger.

In an interview with The Daily Mail Scherzinger explained that she had been brought up with a strict religious (Catholic) upbringing in Hawaii. She first attended Meyzeek Middle School as an adolescent. Growing up, Scherzinger states that she didn’t have a lot of money and the singer thanks her mom for all the support she gave her to become what she is today. Scherzinger began performing in Louisville, attending the Youth Performing Arts School at duPont Manual High School and performing with Actors Theatre of Louisville.

As a teenager, Scherzinger was the first runner-up at the 1996 Kentucky State Fair’s Coca-Cola Talent Classic contest. She also was the Queen for the Louisville Barrio Fiesta, a celebration of all Filpinos in the area. Scherzinger majored in acting and musical theatre at Wright State University, where she played Velma Kelly in Chicago and Julie La Verne in Show Boat, but put her studies on hold in 1999 to sing backing vocals for the rock band Days of the New.

Nicole was supposed to be cast in one of the lead roles in the upcoming movie with the Filipino Boxing Champion Manny Pacquiao together with professional wrestler Dave Batista. She was about to play the leading lady of the Filipino Champ but it was canceled and her role went to the Filipina actress Ruffa Mae Quinto.

The Filipino star is a big fan of Pacquiao and intends to support him by singing his country”s national anthem at one of the sport star”s future fights.

“It would be an honor to sing the national anthem. So, let’s make that happen! I’m so proud of him. I’ve been following him,” she said.

In 2006, she made a “Bench Body” brand underwear commercial in the Philippines and in October 2008, she promoted Clear Shampoo and Conditioner. Both commercials were reportedly aired throughout Southeast Asia.

In late 2009, it was reported that Scherzinger was working closely with Andrew Lloyd Webber on the Phantom of the Opera sequel, Love Never Dies.

On March 1, 2010, it was announced that Scherzinger would be a celebrity contestant on Dancing with the Stars for the tenth season and would be partnered with Season 7 Champion Derek Hough. The season premiered on Monday, March 22, 2010. Family and friends of Nicole gathered in Makaha Valley, at the home of her parents that she gave as a gift to cheer her on during the premiere of DWTS.

Asked whether she keeps in touch with her biological father, Nicole replied: “Yes, I do. He grew up in Hawaii and still lives there with a family of his own. It’s a beautiful family, very warm people who follow their hearts. My father works for the Hawaii government. But it was my mother who raised me. She’s my everything and she’s the reason why I got to where I am today.”

To a GI (genuine Ilocano), the warm, colorlful Chinese lantern-like green and ripe mix of paria hanging from the arbor of green paria vines in the middle of summer and those million tiny yellow flowers individually sitting on tendril-like filaments, each swinging playfully when the flowers are buzzed by honeybees from dawn to dusk–well, the view is absolutely a mesmerizing feast for the eyes. You could almost see the ripe fruits glow or hear their laughter when they burst open with their teeth-like red-coated seeds which eventually fall to the earth and sleep there through the sometimes harsh winter and, in late spring as if by clockwork, reawaken and begin the process of rebirth.

Pinacbet, anyone? Or ginisa with mungo beans teased by a sprinkling of shrimps or succulent lechon, bagnet you say? Chicken tinola with tender paria leaves–ah, that soup is all the therapy you need to feel reborn and energized!

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About

ILOCANO ONLINE, in spite of the name, is a weblog written in both Ilocano and English. Most any topic is fair game here but we’ll try to focus on the Ilocano language and Iloco literature and culture as we go along. We use English every now and then to reach a wider audience because we’re aware that there are those among the younger generation who have an Ilocano heritage but who have been born far removed from Ilocandia and don’t read or communicate in their ancestral tongue. We use Ilocano, as well, laced with some code-switching on occasion which of course exposes our inadequacies. We invite your comments and/or participation as guest bloggers here. We only ask for a modicum of conduct befitting a civilized exchange of ideas. –Joe Padre [See me in Facebook]